Time for this weeks MAC Blogger round table. This week Lets Go Rockets, your source for all things Toledo gets to call the tune.
Here are My Answers, watch the other MAC blags for theirs. Let's Go Rockets should have his summary up later this week.
Eagle Totem: Eastern Michigan
Falcon Blog: Bowling Green
Let's Go Rockets: Toledo
Temple Football Forever: Temple
The Chip Report: Central Michigan
1.) This far into the season, what has been the single biggest disappointment from your respective team?
The Loss to Ball State. The Cards converted two fourth and longs on the deciding drive. Had the Bulls stopped ether of those they would be 3-3 with a 2-0 mark in conference.
With Miami, Akron, and EMU on the docket six wins would have been not only possible but probable. Now I think the ceiling is five, even if you don't get into a bowl 6-6 taste a whole lot better than 5-5
2.) If the first season to this point was replayed without any injuries or personnel loses to your squad, how different would your team’s position be at this point in the season? Would having everyone healthy and available drastically change where you sit now and the potential for the rest of the season?
Unlike last season Injuries have not been a huge factor this season, losing our whole defensive secondary to graduation was. From our opponents stand point the Ohio game might have went differently if they were healthy on defense.
There is some worry that as long as BO is our only running back that there might be some wear and tear.
3.) We predicted winners in each division and a MAC champion at the start of the season - based on what we’ve seen of the teams now, revise your picks for MAC East, MAC West, and MACC winners.
In the East I had Miami. They were returning just about everybody and *should* have been a better squad than the one who took the conference last season. Unfortunately the new coaching staff hit the ground running, then tripped, then ate dirt. Maybe the hawks get moving and catch a few wins this season but right now the East is Temple's to lose.
In the West I had NIU. I just figured that defense and an offense led by Chandler Harnish would survive a battle with Toledo. But a coupld funny things happened. First NIU has been very disappointing so far this season, second Toledo has been better than expected and finally it seems like Maybe Coach Cubit has finally turned a corner at WMU.
The Bronco's have been good but not great for some time, that may be changing. Two losses both to undefeated Big10 Teams, a win over UConn, and a crushing MAC win have me thinking it will be the winner of Toledo/WMU that faces Temple.
In the MACC? how do you bet against Bernard Pierce.... Oh yea there is something in the Water that makes Temple coaches stupid when it comes to not using Pierce enough. So the Winner of WMU/Toledo will beat Temple.
4.) Announcements are surfacing this week that the Peace Pipe will be discontinued as the trophy for the victor of the Toledo / BGSU rivalry, but the rivalry will be rebranded the "Battle for I-75" and include a new trophy. Speak about what the loss of tradition and traditional rivalries would mean to your team and whether a trophy/name change, for example, would diminish from the rivalry.
I think that's just plain stupid.
Seriously! Aside from the obviously inflammatory names teams and trophies I see no reason to nix tradition at the alter of being politically correct. Maybe you bring in someone from a local tribe, sit them down, and ask... How can we do this in a way that honors your people.
It may involve changing a mascot or a nick name. Might mean no tomahawk chop or it might mean a logo change. Because we live in a huge society no matter what you do you're going to end up offending someone, and you can't live your life pleasing all the people all of the time. Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Minnesota Vikings, New York Yankees, hello.....
Is there anything quite as generic sounding as the I-75 Trophy?
College football has Paul Bunions Axe, the Liberty Bell, and now the I-75 trophy. Leave it to the MAC to do something which makes the "cy-hawk" trophy look like it was well executed. Hell on a lark Carter Adler came up with the Ontario Sandwich Trophy for Buffalo and Eastern Michigan, now even that looks well thought out compared to the I-75 trophy.
5.) Rank ‘em.
1) Toledo
1) WMU
3) Temple
4) NIU
5) Bowling Green
6) Ohio
7) Ball State
8) CMU
9) Buffalo
10) Miami
11) EMU
12) Kent